Coasting Jul 17, 2005

Went to Six Flags New England yesterday with [redacted], [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. Stayed till park closing, which was pretty cool - I've never actually been on a roller coaster after dark before.

Teacups - I definitely was not prepared for this one. I'm not sure if it was the ride itself or [redacted] spinning the teacup like a madman, but this was way faster than any teacup ride I have ever been on before. Frankly, I felt a little sick. Fun though.

Poland Springs Plunge - a very basic log flume. One splash, but it's a good one.

Batman: The Dark Knight - a B&M floorless coaster. Nice, smooth ride, as I'm told is typical of that manufacturer. Seemed a little bit too short of a ride, and the drops weren't as scary as they could have been if it was a little taller.

Kontiki - a really lame version of the fairly common "Thunderbolt" spinning ride. Typically these things go quite fast and backwards as well as forwards. This one was slow, forwards, and had no strobe lights or loud rock music. Blah.

Buzzsaw - a non-swinging version of the swinging ship ride that does a full 360 degree rotation. It broke down the first time we were waiting in line for it. We did eventually get on it, though. This one is a bit less tame than it looks from the outside, particularly once it picks up some momentum.

Spider - an elevated spinning ride. It takes forever to load and unload, and it was manufactured in 1968 and feels like it. Definitely less tame than it looks from the outside. Well worth it if you don't mind waiting a while to get on and off it.

Mind Eraser - a Vekoma suspended coaster. It's quite a bit like Batman but with no regard whatsoever for rider comfort. They say to keep your head on the headrest while riding, and they are not kidding! You will get a severe case of whiplash if you don't. The headache is unavoidable in any case. All in all, though, this is a fun coaster if you ignore the typical Vekoma headache.

Blizzard River - a river rapids ride. While waiting in line, they mist water onto you, which ought to be refreshing, but actually it just keeps your sweat from evaporating, as [redacted] said. They warn you fairly forcefully that "you WILL get wet!" on this ride, so I was fairly disappointed at how non-wet we got. There really aren't any waves to speak of, just water falling on you from above.

Superman: Ride of Steel - an Intamin Mega Coaster. I'd been on this several years ago before they tightened the seatbelts to the point where I couldn't get in. It's an incredible ride, one of the most intense I'd ever been on. Actually, this is one of the better arguments I've seen for weight loss. :)

Poison Ivy's Twisted Train - a "family" coaster. Lame, but what did you expect.

Wave Swinger - a circular swings-on-chains ride. Pretty average.

Thunderbolt - a Philadelphia Toboggan classic wooden coaster. Not to be confused with the spinning ride of the same name. It's a bit disconcerting how the seats move left and right while you're on them. Overall, a pretty good ride, especially for its size, but it's fairly short.

Cyclone - a Cobb custom wooden coaster built by Philadelphia Toboggan. Very rough. Brilliant track layout, though. Great drops. Nice, long ride. Definitely my favorite ride of the day, although the fact that it was after dark was probably a factor.

Mr. Six's Pandemonium - a Gerstlauer spinning coaster. Definitely a unique ride. This is essentially a Crazy Mouse coaster layout, but the cars spin. Fun, but it left me wanting more.